Light It Up Blue

Autism Awareness Month takes place during the month of April, and this year, on April 3rd, 2023, marked the first “Light It Up Blue” event at Horizon High school.

Campus Autism Leader Graciela Corella taught students with Asperger’s Syndrome for 16 years, but never thought she would teach different levels of autism like kids who are non-verbal and can’t read or write. However, this has been her fourth year at Horizon, and her 24th year teaching special education as a whole.

“It took me a while to adjust, but really, they taught me. They are the ones that are teaching me every day, because I didn’t have training in this level of autism. And how do I understand them? By paying attention to them - by treating them like real people,” Corella said. 

Liliana Alvillar, mother of Alfredo Alvillar, one of the students in the special education program, always makes an effort to be supportive and knowledgeable of her son’s condition. She tries her best to keep her son calm and manages to understand him well, even with no words. 

“The house was adapted so Alfredo could be comfortable with all the things he likes. Over time, we have learned to know Alfredo, so we’re able to see signs of when he starts to feel anxious and overstimulated,” Alvillar said.

The classroom has also been adapted over time to meet every students’ needs, from a comfortable working environment and setup to fidget and sensory toys to help with overstimulation. The teachers treat their students with compassion no matter what mood or attitude they arrive with; they are always just trying to help their students learn.

“Every day is different. Every day is a surprise really, it's like you can tell if something happened at home by the way they come in in the morning, their attitude, or sometimes they come in and you can see teary eyes, and they don’t tell you. So at that moment, it's just being compassionate towards them,” Corella said.

AVID teacher Michelle Luna, Electrical Trades instructor Miguel Quintana, Law Enforcement teachers Victor Perez, Joshua Gonzalez, Jose Chairez, and David Falin, and Fire Tech instructor John Concha were some of the teachers that decorated the halls for Autism Awareness Month, making the month special overall. 

“You have Black History Month, you have Women’s History Month, you have so many things that are inclusive of so many people. I think if we can, we should participate in everything that’s possible,” Luna said. 

Clint ISD also has an autism grant; the only district in the region with one. District superintendent Dr. Juan Martinez makes sure to give as much as he can to all schools in the district.  

“At Clint ISD, we are inclusive and see the ability - not the disability - of all our students with autism,“ Dr. Martinez said.